Heat Retention Device for Beverage Container

ABSTRACT

A device for covering a beverage container to retain heat comprising a cap, a base, and an arm connecting the cap and the base. The arm is configured to enable the cap to slide away from the base to an open position and slide toward the base to a closed position over the open beverage container. In a preferred embodiment, a mug is configured in size and shape to be mated with the holder to limit heat loss and to increase stability.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to devices for covering a beverage container to retain heat of the beverage. This invention relates particularly to a tabletop device that provides one-handed opening and of the lid of the beverage container.

BACKGROUND

Hot beverages, such as coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, taste better when they are hot. But unless there's a lid on the beverage container, the beverage usually cools off before a person can drink it all. Consider a busy mom who may be drinking coffee while making breakfast for kids or who is busy putting on makeup in the morning. She needs both of her hands to complete those tasks and, to do so, sets her coffee mug on the counter between sips. Consequently, the coffee gets cold while she's busy. A similar sip-and-rest process occurs at the office. A person pours a hot cup of coffee from the breakroom coffee carafe and takes the mug back to his desk. He sets the mug on his desk while he types on a keyboard or does other tasks. Meanwhile, the coffee cools between sips. It's a lucky person who can relax with a hot beverage long enough to drink it all before it goes cold.

Of course, hot beverages can be kept warmer longer by using a lid on the beverage container. However, except for paper to-go cups or take-out cups, most hot-beverage cups do not have lids. Ceramic and glass mugs used in the home or office are open to the air and consequently the beverage loses heat very quickly. As the beverage cools, it loses flavor and aroma, too, diminishing the overall drinking experience. Even with to-go cups, both hands are needed to remove and replace the lid for easy drinking. While one can slurp hot liquid through the little hole in the top of the lid, it is noisy and sometimes dangerous because, since one cannot tell how hot the liquid is before slurping, a scalding sip often results.

It would be desirable to have a beverage container that preserves as much heat from the beverage as possible until the beverage is completely drunk. It would be desirable to have a lidded beverage container with a lid that did not require using both hands to remove and replace the lid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problems of the prior art are solved with a device for closing a beverage container to retain heat comprising a cap, a base, and an arm connecting the cap and the base. The arm is configured to enable the cap to slide away from the base to an open position and slide toward the base to a closed position over the open beverage container. In a preferred embodiment, a mug is configured in size and shape to be mated with the holder to limit heat loss and to increase stability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a side view of the holder with the cap in a resting position.

FIG. 1B is a side view of the holder with the cap in an open position.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the holder with cap in a resting position.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the holder with top in resting position.

FIG. 4A is a cross sectional view of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 4B is a cross sectional view of FIG. 1B.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a mug.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the mug in the holder.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8A is a top perspective view of a holder and a mated mug.

FIG. 8B is a top perspective view of the holder and the mated mug of FIG. 8A as the mug is inserted into the holder.

FIG. 8C is a top perspective view of the holder and the mated of FIG. 8A with the mug resting in the holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The problems of the prior art are solved with a device for closing a beverage container to retain heat which can be operated with one hand and rests on a table or other horizontal surface when the beverage is not in the user's hand. The device comprises a holder 20 having a cap 21, a base 30, and an arm 29 connecting the cap and the base. The arm 29 is configured to enable the cap 21 to slide upwards away from the base 30 to an open position to permit the beverage container to be inserted in the holder 20 and to slide downwards toward the base 30 to a closed position, where the cap rests on the rim of the beverage container, like a lid. In a preferred embodiment, the beverage container is a mug 40 configured in size and shape to be mated with the holder 20 to limit heat loss and to increase stability.

Referring to FIGS. 1A-C, 2, 3 and 4A-4B, the holder 20 is substantially C-shaped in side view, with a cap 21 at the top and a base 30 at bottom. The cap 21 has a top surface 23 and a rim surface 24 opposite the top surface 23. When in operation, the rim surface 24 closes over the open top of the beverage container to prevent rising heat from escaping from the hot liquid in the beverage container. In a preferred embodiment, the rim surface 24 has a cap disk 25 that is configured in size and shape to fit within the rim of the beverage container, as opposed to sitting on top of it, to improve the seal of the cap 21. In some embodiments the rim surface 24 or cap disk 25, or both, are made of silicone or other insulative material to further help keep the beverage warm. The rim surface 24 may have a ring or disk indented into it to more securely hold the beverage container, alternatively or in combination with the cap disk 25.

The cap 21 may be a single-layer substrate having two sides functioning as the top surface 23 and a rim surface 24. Preferably, however, the top surface 23 and the rim surface 24 are separated by a distance forming a cavity, which increases the insulation between the hot liquid and the ambient air. Because air is a relatively good insulator, typically the cap 21 is completely or substantially hollow, where substantially hollow means free of material inside except for structural support used in manufacturing the cap or providing durability. In other embodiments, the cap may be substantially or completely solid. In such case, the cap and the material inside the cap are preferably not conductors of heat. The cap may be flat or domed. The cap 21 may have a small hole (not shown) the top surface 23 to release a pressure that may build up due to the heating of the cap 21 or air in the cavity

A down arm 22 extends downwards from the cap 21 toward the base 30. Preferably the down arm 22 is integral with the cap 21, although it may be a separate piece attached to the cap. The down arm cooperates with an up arm 31 that extends upwards from the base 30 to the cap 21. Similarly, preferably the up arm 31 is integral with the base 30, although it may be a separate piece attached to the base. The down arm and up arm are mated to enable them to slide relative to each other from a closed position to an open position. In the preferred embodiment, the up arm 31 further comprises a finger 36 that is configured to slide within a hollow portion 26 of the down arm 22. Conversely, the finger may extend from the down arm and be configured to slide in the up arm. These configurations permits the arm 29 to have a smooth outside surface, which is visually appealing and eliminates external nook and crannies that may be clogged with residual beverage, fingerprints, or other dirt. Other mechanisms may be used to permit the cap and base to slide relative to each other, such as having the inner diameter of the down arm be larger than the outer diameter of the up arm so that the up arm slides inside the up arm, or vice-versa.

Preferably the cap 21 and base 30 slide freely relative to each other, with as little friction as possible. This makes using the device with one hand as easy as possible, as explained in more detail below. In some cases, however, cap 21 and base 30 may be configured to have intermediate stopping points, such as those created with frictional nubs (not shown) placed at one or more desired locations. A stop (not shown) may be disposed in the down arm 22 or up arm 31 to make the cap 21 inseparable from the base 30.

The arm 29 has a thickness t and a width w. See FIGS. 1A and 2, respectively. The thickness t of the arm 29 is sufficient to provide structural strength to not only support the cap 21, but survive repeated sliding motions. The width w of the arm 29 is less than half the circumference of the cap 21 so that the beverage container can easily slide in and out of the holder 20 without bumping the sides of the arm 29 from multiple directions. Preferably the arm 29 is curved with a radius of curvature similar to that of the beverage container so that, when the beverage container rests in the holder 20, the sidewall 41 rests against the arm 29 to add additional insulation and stability.

The base 30 has a coaster surface 32 and a resting surface 34 opposite the coaster surface 32. When in operation, the beverage container rests on the coaster surface 32. In a preferred embodiment, coaster surface 32 has a base disk 33 which extends above the coaster surface 32 and is sized to fit inside the foot of the mug fit within the foot of the beverage container to hold it more securely. The coaster surface 32 may have a ring or disk indented into it to more securely hold the beverage container, alternatively or in combination with the base disk 33.

The base 30 may be a single-layer substrate having two sides functioning as the coaster surface 32 and a resting surface 34. Preferably, however, the coaster surface 32 and a resting surface 34 are separated by a distance forming a cavity, which increases the insulation between the hot liquid, the ambient air, and the horizontal surface the beverage container rests on. Because air is a relatively good insulator, typically the base is completely or substantially hollow, where substantially hollow means free of material inside except for structural support used in manufacturing the base or providing durability. In other embodiments, the cap may be substantially or completely solid. In such case, the cap and the material inside the cap are preferably not conductors of heat. In a preferred embodiment, the base has a non-skid surface on the bottom, such as that created by a rubber or silicone material adhered to the resting surface 34. Alternatively or in addition, preferably the base is substantially solid with a heavy material weight the base. These features help the base stay in place on the resting surface as the beverage container is inserted into the holder 20. Typically the cap 21 and base 30 are circular and have about the same diameter. In one embodiment the base comprises a number of vanes 37.

Although the holder 20 can be used with any beverage container that fits between the cap 21 and the base 30, in a preferred embodiment the beverage container is a mug 40 that is configured in size and shape to mate with the holder 20. In the preferred embodiment, the mug, cap and base are circular. See FIGS. 5-7. The mug has a continuous curved sidewall 41 forming an internal chamber that is connected to a foot 43 which forms the bottom of the mug. The open top of the mug 40 is the rim 41. The mug has a handle 45. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom of the mug is curved upwards, forming an underside cavity 44, into which the base disk 33 fits snugly.

FIGS. 8A-C illustrate the operation of the device. FIG. 8A shows the mug 40 next to the holder 20 in a rest position on a table, counter, or other horizontal surface, in which the cap 21 is as close to the base 30 as possible. The distance between the cap 21 and the base 30 is the height h of the opening. The height h is variable, depending on how far the cap 21 is pushed away from the base 30. When the holder 20 is resting without a mug 40, the height h is less than the mug is tall.

To place the mug 40 in the holder 20, a user places the leading edge 47 of the mug under the outer edge of the cap 21 which, due to the near-frictionless arm motion, causes the cap 21 to slide upwards away from the base 30, thereby increasing the height h. See FIG. 8B. The height h is taller than the beverage container when the cap is slid as far away from the base as possible, so that the container easily slides in and out of the holder 20. The leading edge 47 is shown in FIG. 8B as the edge of the mug 40 opposite the arm 29, but any edge of the mug may be inserted under the cap 21 from any angle relative to the arm 29.

The user continues to slide the mug 40 into the holder 20 until the mug is far enough into the holder that the bottom of the mug is over the coaster surface 32. The user sets the mug on the coaster surface and the cap 21 slides downward by gravity towards the base to cover the top of the mug. See FIG. 8C. In some embodiments the cap fits precisely enough to seal the top of the mug. The spacing of the cap and base are automatically controlled by the action of inserting or removing a container from the holder and provides single-handed operation. When the beverage container is seated in the holder 20, the height h′ of the arm 29 is preferably the same as the beverage container is tall, so that the cap 21 fits snugly against the rim 42 of the beverage container. The holder 20, with or without the mug inserted, is portable, so a user can move it from room to room, if desired, while drinking the hot beverage.

In one embodiment, the mug is ceramic, has a 12 oz. capacity, and is 4.5″ tall. The holder is ABS plastic. It has a domed cap, an overall height of 5.63″ and an overall width of 4″. The cap 21 is about 0.25″ thick and the base is about 0.5″ thick.

While there has been illustrated and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. A device for closing a beverage container to retain heat, the device comprising: a) a cap; b) a base; c) an arm connecting the cap and the base, wherein the arm is configured to enable the cap to slide away from the base to an open position and slide toward the base to a closed position.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the cap can be pushed away from the base by inserting a rim of a beverage container under the cap.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein when the distance between the cap and base in the open position is greater than the height of a beverage container.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein when the beverage container rests on the base, the cap rests on the beverage container.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein the cap and base are substantially hollow.
 6. A device for closing a beverage container to retain heat, the device comprising: a) a cap having a down arm extending therefrom; b) a base having an up arm extending therefrom, wherein the down arm and up arm are mated to enable them to slide relative to each other from a closed position to an open position.
 7. The device of claim 6 wherein the cap can be pushed away from the base by inserting a rim of a beverage container under the cap.
 8. The device of claim 6 wherein when the distance between the cap and base in the open position is greater than the height of a beverage container.
 9. The device of claim 6 wherein when the beverage container rests on the base, the cap rests on the beverage container.
 10. A device for covering a mug to retain heat of the beverage therein, the mug having a continuous sidewall forming an internal chamber wherein the top of the chamber is a rim, a foot connected to the continuous side wall forms the bottom of the mug; and a handle is connected to the side wall, the device comprising: a) a circular cap comprising: i. a top surface; ii. a rim surface opposite the top surface; and iii. a down arm extending from the cap toward a base, wherein the down arm has a width and the width is less than half the circumference of the cap; b) a circular base comprising: i. a coaster surface; ii. a resting surface opposite the coaster surface; and iii. an up arm extending from the base toward the cap, wherein the up arm and the down arm are mated to enable them to slide relative to each other.
 11. The device of claim 10 wherein: a) the rim surface further comprises a cap disk extending below the rim surface which is sized to fit inside the rim of the mug; and b) the coaster surface further comprises a base disk extending above the coaster surface which is sized to fit inside the foot of the mug.
 12. The device of claim 11 wherein the bottom of the mug further comprises an underside cavity of the mug and the base disk fits inside the cavity.
 13. The device of claim 10 wherein: a) the rim surface further comprises a circular cap indentation indented towards the rim surface which is sized to fit around the rim of the mug; and b) the coaster surface further comprises a circular base indentation indented towards the resting surface which is sized to fit around the foot of the mug.
 14. The device of claim 10 wherein the cap is substantially hollow.
 15. The device of claim 10 wherein the base is solid.
 16. The device of claim 10 wherein the up arm comprises a finger that is configured to slide within a hollow portion of the down arm.
 17. The device of claim 10 wherein the down arm comprises a finger that is configured to slide within a hollow portion of the up arm.
 18. The device of claim 10 wherein the up arm slides in the down arm.
 19. The device of claim 10 wherein the down arm slides in the up arm.
 20. The device of claim 10 wherein the resting surface is non-skid. 